Washington Business Journal Profiles Chip Cannon as Business of Pride Honoree

As part of its fourth annual Business of Pride awards, Washington Business Journal selected Akin Gump energy regulation, markets and enforcement practice head George “Chip” Cannon as one of its 12 honorees (learn more here) for “outstanding practices in advancing LGBTQ leadership and equality.”

In the accompanying profile that published today, Cannon spoke of his experiences as a closeted gay man growing up and studying in the South and how he was able to come to terms with his identity.

Among the highlights:

• “When I graduated college, I was not ready to go to law school…I moved to Germany, in West Berlin. That’s where I really came out. It was very, very different than Mississippi. Very different than New Orleans, where I went to school. It was a couple of decades ahead of the United States in terms of the gay rights movement. I learned to get comfortable with myself.”
• “You don’t really just come out once and it’s all done. Every day, in some ways, is a process of coming out…So I talk about my husband and my family. Hopefully it makes other people in similar situations feel comfortable with doing the same thing.”
• “In Washington, we’re living a different life than a lot of people in the country are living. Up until recently, you could be fired just for being who you are. And while that may no longer be legal, biases still exist — in particular if you’re transgender. And that even applies in Washington. The amount of violence is appalling. We’ve all got to make a lot of improvement.”
• “But there’s a lot of good. I find it so wonderful for my kids to live in a world where they see that there is no discrimination for their dads.”

To read the full profile, click here.